Choice: that was the thing
by CeeBizzle
Summary: He loved her, of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day. Choice: that was the thing.


**A/N: Here is the sister piece to _The Most Innocent Form. _Thank you for the positive feedback on my first story! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

2. Choice: that was the thing

_He loved her, of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day. Choice: that was the thing – Sherman Alexie_

The first time around, he had been so in love with her. So enraptured. He had told her he loved her early on in their relationship and it had scared her how intense it was. Little by little Will broke down the walls she had built around her heart from past relationships. It unnerved her each time. Each time he made her love him with the little things he did and how he chose her. Every day Will showed up ready to love her. He was older than her, MacKenzie had reasoned, so he was less reserved and less into playing games. Unlike the other men she had dated, Will McAvoy had been sure about her from day one. He had chosen her. Jumped in head first. And being someone who had never experienced love like this before, she was scared shitless. She ran. MacKenzie ran right into the arms of a man who had broken her once upon a time. And she'd spent the past few years beating herself up and paying for it.

MacKenzie had made a choice to run away to Afghanistan when it seemed like Will was never again going to speak to her. Months of no replies to her emails, texts and calls. He had stopped choosing her, it seemed. So she ran. As far away as she could and somewhere she thought Will would be the last thing on her mind. MacKenzie had hoped that amongst the chaos and gunfire, she could forget and ignore all of the pain and the constant empty gnawing feeling in her heart. Then she got stabbed and the first thing that she could think about was Will. For a moment, as he faded into darkness she thought this was maybe what she deserved for breaking Will's heart and this was how she would die.

But she didn't.

And after that she decided that it was time to go home. It was MacKenzie's turn to choose Will.

MacKenzie saw his eyes widened in surprise then anger, the first time he had seen her. Her heart stopped. That gnawing ache in her chest seemed to ease up a bit at the sight of him. _Oh how she loved him still. _ How could he have been so stupid to give up this (him, _them_)? She expected his anger towards her. And she deserved it. She decided that from that day she would take whatever he threw at her because this time she was going to choose him. Day after day she would choose him like he had chosen her all those years ago. MacKenzie was no longer the naïve girl she was when they had first fallen in love. She had seen life without him and she would choose a life of him keeping her at arm's length and occasionally hurting her over a life completely without him.

And so for over 2 years she showed up and chose Will. Mac tried to show him in the little things that she did, kind words, gentle reminders and playful banter that she was here to stay. After seeing the women he brought to the office to make her jealous, she tried to start dating too just to distract herself. Also to see what it was like to be like by someone after she had been loved by Will. Wade had surprised her and she found herself enjoying his company. But after a while it just reminded her that he wasn't Will.

MacKenzie had resigned herself to a world of hurt and pain; her hurting Will and Will hurting her. And then there came the whole voicemail thing. She had to admit that it wasn't always easy choosing Will and sometimes she wanted to stop. But her heart wouldn't let her. That time in the hospital telling with him telling her that there had been a voicemail had given her a renewed sense of hope.

So she held onto that for the next few months. Through the whole Nina Howard thing and Genoa, Mac chose to wait on Will. Wait to see if he would ever forgive her and trust her enough to tell her what was in that message. But after the depositions were done she felt exhausted so she pushed him to fire her. He pushed back and hurt her. Finding out about the ring had hurt her in a way that she never thought possible and she imagined that was how it would end between them. MacKenzie would be fired at the end of the broadcast and she would leave and that is how it would end between them.

But then he rushed frantically into the studio, took her by complete surprise and _chose her_. Will had chosen her again. This time without the hesitation and fear she had in the past, MacKenzie had chosen him right back. And she'd choose him forever.

Granted, it was not always easy choosing one another all the time but they did. They showed up every day. _She _showed up every day and chose him (chose them). _Choice: that was the thing._ They were determined to make it work. They had to. As much as she owned him, he owned her too, and she couldn't bear to lose him again. So she made a choice every day.

MacKenzie chose to marry him 4 months after he proposed. Him proposing hadn't fixed everything and there was so much to still be sorted out but they had the rest of their lives to figure it out. They were done wasting time.

She chose to tell him she was pregnant right after they had made love and were coming down off their high. They had only been married for three months and they were still in their honeymoon phase. Up until that point she hadn't thought that life could get any better but it did. She had collapsed on top of him as he trailed wet kisses on her shoulder.

Mac had planned on surprising him with the news in some elaborate way ( because that's what you were supposed to do, right?) but the way he looked at her in that moment, like he was seeing her for the first time ( _making love to her for the first time_); she just couldn't keep this to herself any longer. They had spoken about children. They weren't trying but would be happy if something did happen.

So she buried her head in the crook of his neck and whispered her news in his ear. Will had been stunned. That night was filled with comfort and reassurance from her to him.

Mackenzie had chosen her daughter's name. While she was never one of those girls who dreamt about her wedding day or had the names of her future kids picked out; she had always loved the name Avery. Avery was small and pink with wisps of brown hair on her head. As she looked at her husband holding her –_their_- daughter it was as if everything in her world stopped and the center of her universe shifted to now revolve around them. _Her family._

"MacKenzie" Will had whispered not taking his eyes off the tiny bundle in his arms.

"Hmmm?" She had hummed contentedly through tired, hooded eyes as he watched the two people she loved most in the world.

Will chuckled.

"No, not you Mac. That's what i want to be her middle name. Avery Mackenzie McAvoy" he replied finally tearing his eyes from his daughter and landing on her. "After her mother. The strongest woman I know. Thank you for her, for everything." Will said as he leaned over and placed a few kisses on her forehead and the top of her head.

"No Billy, thank you for choosing me"

And she knows that she will choose them (Will and Avery) every day for the rest of her life.


End file.
